


Tex Padalecki and the Last Crusade

by zubeneschamali



Series: Tex Padalecki [3]
Category: Supernatural RPF
Genre: Indiana Jones AU, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-16
Updated: 2017-04-16
Packaged: 2018-10-19 11:32:03
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,069
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10638966
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zubeneschamali/pseuds/zubeneschamali
Summary: For the first time, Jensen and Jared are working together on the same search for a rare artifact. But they're not the only ones looking for it, and the competition could be deadly.





	

**Author's Note:**

> This is my second attempt at finishing this story for spn_cinema, and I finally did it! Thanks to the mods for their patience and encouragement.

Jensen paced back and forth across his living room. Jared had to almost be here by now, but the waiting was driving Jensen crazy. It had been bad enough to be connected to Jared as a result of the statuette they'd accidentally simultaneously touched and the bond it had forged between them. But after the "cat incident," as Jared liked to call it, they'd been even more closely tied. Whatever kind of magic had turned Jensen into a cat for the space of a night, releasing it had required both of them admitting they had feelings for each other beyond the lust the statuette had driven them to feel.

Since then, things had been...different.

There was the screech of tires outside, and then the roar of an oversized pickup truck pulling into Jensen's driveway. Brakes squealed, a car door slammed, and Jensen swung the front door open just as Jared barreled through.

They were in each other's arms instantly, mouths crashing together like they'd been apart for ten months instead of three weeks. Hands frantically working at the buttons of each other's shirts, they didn't break their kisses as they stumbled out of the foyer and through the living room. Jensen steered them to the couch, rolling Jared onto his back and climbing on top. Shirts off, he luxuriated in the feel of Jared's skin against his for a moment before fumbling at Jared's belt.

Jared was already yanking Jensen's khakis off, and then they were almost naked, hard lines of their cocks pressed together through their boxers. Jensen's hands were full of Jared's hair, angling his head for the deepest kiss he could get as he started to grind down.

Jared gasped and threw his head back. Jensen took advantage, licking and biting along the length of his gorgeous neck. Jared arched up against him, hooking one leg up and over Jensen's to get more leverage as he started to thrust. Jensen knew he should pull back so they could get naked the rest of the way, but the hard press of Jared's clothed cock against his was more than enough already. He rocked his hips, feeling Jared rise up to meet him, and he slammed his mouth against Jared's again, teeth clacking and lips pressed together almost painfully hard. Jared's big hand on the back of his head kept him in place, tongue invading Jensen's mouth as their hips continued to rock in tandem.

Jensen couldn't hold back any longer, not when he was feeling Jared's arousal almost as strongly as his own. He ground down with a roll of his hips, nipping at Jared's lower lip, and Jared's big body tensed beneath him for a moment before he was shuddering up against Jensen, warm heat spreading between them.

Jared grabbed Jensen's ass with a sharp squeeze, just like when he would take a hold of Jensen to urge him to thrust inside of him deeper and harder. That set Jensen off like a rocket, pumping sharply twice, and then a longer, slower thrust before collapsing in a heap on Jared's chest.

There was no sound for a moment but their slowly subsiding breaths. Jared's fingers trailed over the sweat on Jensen's back. "So, hi."

Jensen snorted. "How was your day, dear?" 

"Took way too long to get here. Maybe we can find an artifact that allows for instantaneous travel."

"That'd be awesome." Jensen shifted so he was half on the couch, half on Jared. "Then we wouldn't shoot off like sixteen-year-olds when we see each other after only three weeks apart."

"To be fair, we were pretty far apart." Jared kept stroking up and down Jensen's back, plucking lightly at the back of the bow tie still fastened around Jensen's neck. "But yeah, that was way too fast. Especially after I pulled off at the rest area south of Dallas for prep."

Jensen's cock twitched at the thought of Jared fingering himself open in a rest area bathroom, getting ready for him. Still, he glared at Jared. "So that explains it. Didn't we agree not to do anything like that while the other one of us was in class? Good thing I had a podium to stand behind this afternoon, or my class would have gotten to see a whole different side of me." 

"Not as bad as last week, you jerk. I was about to present at my conference in Singapore, and you were rubbing one out in the shower. Had to excuse myself to the bathroom to calm down before going on stage." Jared lightly slugged his shoulder. "Would've thought being halfway around the world would have reduced this bond of ours."

"Apparently not when it comes to the big things." Jensen waggled his eyebrows and gave a lewd thrust of his hips. 

Jared rolled his eyes. "At any rate, it was a good meeting. Collins was surprised you weren't there, but not as surprised as when I said we were presenting joint work. That raised a few eyebrows in the crowd, let me tell you."

"But what was the response?" Jensen propped up his chin on his fists so that he could look at Jared. "Do they think we were right about the Weber Line?"

"That _you_ were right," Jared replied with a quirk of his lips. "Still can't believe that you wanted to make it a joint project instead of taking credit for being right."

Jensen shrugged. "Hey, this way I get to hear you admit I was right, _and_ I get you in bed. Win-win."

"Right, 'cause that's what it's all about," Jared replied with a lift of his eyebrows.

"Mrow," Jensen replied, pleased when Jared threw his head back on a laugh. It had been a couple of months since the cat incident, but Jared still liked to tease him about his previous insistence that the only reason they spent time together was that the statuette and its binding ritual made them horny for each other. It had gotten to be much more than that between them, even if Jensen still found it hard to admit at times. Years of bitter rivalry were hard to let go of entirely, although he had found that old saying to have some truth to it: love and hate were two sides of the same coin. 

He patted Jared's chest. "I've got steaks marinating, and there's tomatoes and basil from the garden. Let's get cleaned up and then eat."

"And then try this again a little more slowly," Jared replied with a grin.

"You can be dessert," Jensen agreed, lowering his head to capture Jared's lips with his. 

 

Over dinner, Jared told him about a talk he'd heard at the conference. "There was this big landslide in northern Spain about a month ago that uncovered a bunch of artifacts that had been thought lost. A lot of Catholic reliquaries, things like that. I asked the speaker to send me the whole list, and it came through my e-mail just this morning."

"Anything interesting?" Jensen asked before taking a big bite of his steak. 

"Possibly." Jared slipped his phone out of his pocket. "Most of it's not really our kind of thing, but there was something that caught my eye." He scrolled through his e-mail before putting the phone in front of Jensen.

Jensen looked down the list. Saints' bones, apocryphal manuscripts, pilgrims' relics...nothing that an anthropologist who focused on ancient humans would be interested in. "What did you see?"

"Third one from the bottom."

Jensen squinted at the phone. "The Cup of Christ?"

Jared nodded excitedly. "It's a story from the early 1000s or so, when the push was underway to drive the Moors out of Spain. One of the nobles from Cantabria was said to have been grievously wounded in battle. He prayed for healing and promised that if he was restored to health, he'd lead his knights to victory and reclaim the Iberian Peninsula for the Christians. One of his pages found this cup in the back corner of the church where they were resting after the battle, and it's what he served the noble his water in." Jared shrugged. "The guy got better."

"So he wasn't wounded as seriously as he thought."

"He had vowed to reclaim the Peninsula in tribute." Jared leaned across the table. "A soldier by the same name—a very distinctive name, mind you—was credited with fighting in the last battle against the Moors. Three hundred years later."

"So it was his great-great whatever. Doesn't mean it was the same guy." Jensen shrugged. "If that cup was really magic, wouldn't he have held on to it?"

"Not if he was in a war for three hundred years." Jared cut a piece out of his steak. "There are other stories about the cup, too, that pilgrims going to Santiago de Compostela would stop off to see it, and no matter how tired they were or how their feet were sore from their journey, one drink and they would be restored. Somewhere along the way, though, it was lost."

Jensen leaned his elbows on the table. "Okay, so this is an interesting story. Why did you ask about it?"

"What if it's real?"

Jensen snorted. "If half the stories about mystical artifacts were true, the world would be more like a Harry Potter novel."

"Jensen, we _know_ those stories are true. Or at least some of them are." Jared gestured back and forth between the two of them. "What if this one is, too?"

He sighed and put down his fork. "Jared, there are thousands of artifacts like this one out there in the world. What's so special about this one?"

"It could change the world. Being able to turn people into cats or even bond them together is one thing. But if you could cure cancer and AIDS and Ebola and everything in one fell swoop...it's hard to imagine."

"It's hard to imagine, all right." Jensen shook his head. "More likely, it's a bunch of stories about an object that doesn't even exist."

"My advisor talked about it all the time. She had written her master's thesis on it, and she never gave up hope that it was out there somewhere. I took a seminar from her once, and the Cup of Christ took up maybe half the semester. I probably still have my notebook from the class."

There was something underlying Jared's tone, something other than the excitement of a potential discovery. "Jared, what is it?"

Jared sighed. "I called my advisor after I got the e-mail listing the artifacts they think were uncovered. I wanted to know what she thought, you know?" Jensen nodded, and he went on, "I talked to her assistant. She went to Spain as soon as she heard about the landslide. But no one's heard from her for two weeks."

Jensen raised his eyebrows. "Is that unusual for her?"

"Her secretary thought so. She said Dr. Rhodes always checks in every couple of days and lets her know if it's going to be longer than that." Jared shook his head. "She e-mailed every day at first, and then nothing."

"You're worried about her."

"Jensen, if this artifact is real, it could do a lot of good. But in the wrong hands, it could also be terrible. What if there are other people out there looking for it? What if they found Dr. Rhodes?" Jared's eyes were wide.

Jensen put a hand over his. "Next week is spring break. I can have my grad students referee the journal articles sitting on my desk, and the book proposal I'm writing can wait another week or two."

"Would you do that?" Jared turned his hand over beneath Jensen's and gave it a squeeze. "If nothing's wrong with Dr. Rhodes, if there's not really a cup, you can make fun of me for the next year, I promise."

"I wouldn't do that, Jare." When Jared lifted his eyebrows, Jensen tilted his head to the side and said, "Okay, yeah, I would. But I won't."

"Thank you, Jensen." Jared squeezed his hand again. "I owe you one."

 

Later in the evening—after dessert in the bedroom—Jensen came back out to the kitchen to empty the dishwasher. Jared was cleaning up in the bathroom, since dessert had gotten a bit messy. Jensen mused as he put away the glasses that Jared did look good with cream on his face. Maybe next time they could—

"Ow!" He'd been distracted by his lustful thoughts as he reached back into the dishwasher, and he hadn't noticed that one of the steak knives had been put in handle-down. He looked at his hand and was alarmed to see a dark red line forming across his palm.

"Ow, shit!"

Jensen's head snapped up at Jared's cry. He ripped a paper towel off the roll and wrapped it around his hand as he strode down the hallway. "You all right?" he asked.

The shower was still running, but Jared poked his head outside the curtain. "Yeah, I think so," he said. "It was the weirdest thing—this sharp pain in my hand came out of nowhere, but it doesn't look like anything's wrong with it. Still hurts, though."

Jensen looked down at the paper towel across his hand, already streaked with blood. "Yeah, about that."

Jared followed his gaze, and his eyes went wide. "Shit! Jensen, what did you do?"

"Didn't look before I grabbed," he said. He unwrapped the paper towel and stuck his hand under the tap, running cold water over his palm. "It's not deep, just stings like a son of a bitch."

"Damn." Jared turned off the shower and hopped out. "Let me help you."

"It's okay, I got it." Jensen pressed his thumb into the center of his palm to slow the bleeding. When he looked at Jared, dripping wet and completely naked, he gave a low wolf whistle.

"Shut up," Jared replied. "You're hurt." 

"I'm fine." Jensen tilted his head sideways. "You felt it, though."

Jared blinked at him. "I guess I did."

"Does it hurt now?"

Jared stared at his palm. "Yeah. Not bad, just like I scratched it or something."

"Huh." Jensen noticed that the bleeding had slowed, but he kept it under the water. "Have we noticed this before? That when one of us gets hurt, the other one feels it?"

"Not that I can think of." Jared shrugged. "I guess it makes sense, though. If we can feel pleasure at the same time, we should be able to feel pain, too, right?"

"Hmm." That was a side effect that they hadn't noticed at first: not only were they utterly horny for each other, but they felt something like an echo of what the other was feeling. It made for some amazing times in the bedroom—and the kitchen, and the living room, and that one time in the garage—but it had never occurred to Jensen that this connection between them might manifest in other ways as well.

"I thought the statuette was for a binding rite between couples, though," he finally replied. "Like a marriage ceremony." 

Jared's cheeks were slightly pink, but that might have been from the humid air in the bathroom. "Maybe they're meant to share the pain as well as the good times, you know?"

"Maybe so." Jensen moved his thumb and was relieved to see the bleeding had mostly stopped. "Good thing it doesn't seem to work at a distance, though. I don't want to feel it every time you stub your toe."

"You're the one who just cut yourself open on the dishwasher," Jared grumbled. But he was gentle as he bandaged Jensen's hand, and he didn't dry himself off until he was done. 

And then he paraded back into the bedroom without even a towel around himself, so that soon Jensen was wasn't feeling any pain at all. 

 

A week passed, and Jared had no luck getting in contact with his advisor. Worse yet, when he e-mailed the person he'd spoken to at his conference, he got a brusque reply that there had been a mistake and that the landslide hadn't unearthed anything but some old bones. Jensen agreed that was very strange, especially given how eager the guy had been to share his information in the first place. 

So as soon as his last class was over, he was driving to the airport. Jared had flown up from his small college town, and when they met up at the gate for their flight to Spain, it was all Jensen could do to limit himself to a quick hug instead of the usual clothes-tearing frenzy that happened when they saw each other.

There might have been a mutual trip to the airplane bathroom somewhere over the Atlantic that was completely unsatisfying given the limited space available, but it was enough to tide them over until they got to their hotel in Madrid. Afterwards, they crashed for a few hours and then got on a train heading north through the dry, rugged hills. 

The hills eventually grew steeper, and the train slowed as it chugged its way up into the mountains. The scenery reminded Jensen of nothing so much as central California, sage and pine greens alternating with burnished golds, dotted with red-tiled roofs and white-washed houses. The mountains themselves started to look different though, sharper peaks that jutted out of the ground like a giant's teeth. The train wound through a curve so tight that it bent back on itself, the rear cars visible out the window to Jensen's left. They crossed the highway and curved back the other way, and then they came to a stop at the little station of Carranza. 

There was nothing there besides the station, a handful of worn, whitewashed buildings, and a path leading up the hill. The looming concrete pillars of the _autopiste_ soared overhead, the highway sharing the narrow valley with the train tracks and the rushing river. As they climbed up the hill and onto the narrow road curving towards the hills to the west, the rushing sound of the river was replaced by the nearly-identical roar of traffic.

"How far are we walking again?" Jensen asked, fastening the straps of his backpack around his waist.

"About five miles. More horizontal than vertical, but not entirely." Jared pointed at the hills towering over them.

Jensen groaned. "Thought this artifact was in a cave, man."

"Yeah, but the entrance is up on top of the hill." Clapping him on the shoulder, Jared grinned. "At least the weather's nice, yeah?"

An hour later, they were both sweating up a storm when they stopped beside a small chapel perched on a steep mountain hillside. The narrow gravel road they'd been walking on continued to switchback up the mountain beyond the chapel. Jensen was grateful that they hadn't encountered a vehicle along its length, since there wouldn't have been much room for them to go between the sharp drop-off on one side and the jagged limestone cliffs on the other side. A few sheep within the flocks they'd passed had eyed them suspiciously as they went by, but there were no shepherds to see them trudging on.

"This is it," Jared said. "This is the chapel where Dr. Rhodes would have started. Based on what my contact at the conference said, the landslide should be just over the hill."

Then, to Jensen's astonishment, Jared tightened the straps on his backpack and started charging right up the steep hill. 

There were limestone outcroppings studding the grassy hillside, but whenever Jared's shoe made contact with one of them, little bits of white rock and dust trickled down behind him. So when Jensen started to clamber after him, he went a few feet to the side to keep his head safe from the little rockslides Jared was setting off—or, God forbid, Jared himself sliding down the hill. There wasn't much to grab onto, between the crumbling rock and the tufts of grass. Jensen's legs were already burning from the march up the road, but he pressed upward.

He was watching his footing on a tricky section, ready to look up and see how much farther he had to go, when a hand closed over his arm. Jensen yelped, feet momentarily losing their purchase on the hillside as he flopped onto his stomach. "Jesus, Jared, why'd you—?"

"Shh!"

Rising up on his elbows next to Jared, Jensen realized he'd almost made it to the top of the hill. He also realized they weren't alone.

Just over the top of the hill, across a narrow, steep valley, was another even taller mountain. There was a long, fresh landslide scar down the side, loose dirt and gravel having swept away the trees and grass. About halfway down the slide, there was a dark opening into the hillside, and two figures were disappearing inside.

"Is that it?" Jensen asked. "Where the relics were uncovered?"

"Yeah," Jared whispered back. "And there's definitely someone looking for them."

"Do you think that's where Dr. Rhodes is?"

"Only one way to find out."

They clambered over the top of the mountain and down the other side. It was a steep slope, and Jensen almost gave up and slid down on his ass except for fear of setting off a landslide of his own. Instead, he crouched low and carefully picked his way down the loose, rocky slope. Even the sheep didn't come this far, though he could see more of them scattered across the grass at the base of the valley.

They crossed the narrow stream at the bottom and then climbed up the other side. At the entrance to the cave, they paused to catch their breath. "Should we go in?" Jensen whispered.

"At least to take a look," Jared said. "See if Dr. Rhodes is here."

They crept inside, eyes slowly adjusting to the dark. It wasn't completely dark inside; crevasses overhead periodically let in shafts of light, enough that they could make their way down a narrow, slanting corridor. They'd gone maybe a quarter of a mile when Jared's hand on his arm made Jensen come to a stop.

They were at an overlook, with a large, wide chamber spread out beneath them. Dirty white stalactites dripped onto the floor below, and there was a sharp mineral smell in the air. But the cave wasn’t what really caught Jensen's attention. It was the woman with short, dark hair standing in the middle, hands on her hips, facing a man in a white suit and white hat.

He was pointing a gun at her. So were the two men on either side of him.

"Shit!" Jared whispered.

"That's her?" Jensen breathed.

Jared nodded. They were both crouched behind large rocks, watching the scene below. "What're we gonna do?"

They watched for a moment as Dr. Rhodes and the man in the white hat argued with each other. Jensen was armed, but one of him against three of them was not good odds.

There was a rustling sound behind him, and Jensen gritted his teeth. There had better not be snakes in this cave. They had enough to deal with already, and he really hated snakes.

He turned his head slightly, one hand on the rock in front of him for balance, the other reaching for the pistol at his waist. When he saw what was behind him, he froze.

There was a man standing there, only a few feet away, aiming a gun at Jensen.

For a moment, neither of them moved. Then the man gestured with the gun, and Jensen slowly moved his hand away from his waist and up into the air. The man gestured again, and Jensen rose to his feet, hands up.

Jensen had never had a gun pointed at him before. He carried one in case of wild animals, not for situations like this. So his heart was thumping loudly as he stood up, hands shaking slightly as he raised them in the air.

It wasn't until he looked to his left that he became absolutely petrified. Because Jared was still kneeling behind his boulder, hands on the rock in front of him, and the second man standing behind him had the barrel of his gun pressed right up against the back of Jared's neck. 

Jensen was certain that he'd never been so scared in his life.

"Who are you?"

The question came from the man in the white hat standing in the main chamber of the cave, the one who'd been manhandling Dr. Rhodes a moment ago. She was looking up at them, squinting in the dim light, and then her hand flew to her mouth when she saw Jared. 

"Friends of yours?" asked the man in the white hat.

She stayed silent, lips pressed firmly together.

"Come on." The man behind Jensen gave him a shove, and he stumbled forward, trying to keep his balance and still keep his hands in the air. He looked back over his shoulder, and only when Jared was dragged to his feet and pushed forward, too, did he feel some relief. 

They were marched down to the floor of the cave. Along with the two men behind them, the two standing beside Dr. Rhodes had dark hair and light skin, all roughly Jensen's age. The man in the white hat looked older, with lighter brown hair. "Who are you?" he barked at Jensen.

Jensen stayed silent. Jared was standing beside him now, and Jensen could feel the back of his neck prickling at the thought of the gunmen behind them. From the corner of his eye, he saw them move around to the side, and his breathing eased a bit. He cast a quick glance at Jared and saw the same fear and uncertainty that he was feeling himself. He wanted to reach out and grab Jared's hand, but that probably wasn't a good idea right now.

"You know them, Dr. Rhodes," the man said. "Who are they?"

"Must be tourists," she shrugged. "I've never seen them before—"

She was cut off when the man in the white hat lifted his gun and aimed it at Jared. "You know this one," he said. "Do you want me to shoot him?"

"No!" She raised her hands. "No, don't. Please don't shoot anyone."

"Are you going to get me what I want?" he asked.

Rhodes shook her head. "Why did you come here?" she asked Jared.

"We were worried about you," he replied.

She rolled her eyes, and Jensen liked her even more. "Don't suppose you brought the cavalry with you?"

Jared exchanged a guilty look with Jensen.

"Colleague?" the man in the white hat asked. "Friend? Lover?"

"Student," Rhodes reluctantly replied.

"Ah." He eyed Jensen. "And this one?"

"Never met him," Rhodes said, though Jensen could tell from her expression that she knew exactly who he was.

"Then this is the important one." The man in the white hat took a few steps forward until he was standing in front of Jared. Slowly, he reached up and traced the edge of Jared's jaw with the barrel of his gun.

Jensen froze, ice running down his spine. Jared wasn't moving either, except for the quick rise and fall of his chest. He was looking straight ahead over the man's shoulder, jaw clenched tightly, trying not to react but clearly terrified.

"Leave him alone, Lehne." Rhodes' voice was low. "I can get you what you want."

"Don't, Dr. Rhodes," Jared warned.

Lehne was already stepping back and turning towards her. "You'll get me the Cup?"

She grimaced. "Just don’t hurt them."

"Well, I don't know," he replied. "It seems you might need some extra incentive to hurry it along."

Her eyes widened, and Jensen's stomach sank. "No, I really don't think—"

The gunshot was loud in the cave, echoing around the walls.

"No!" Rhodes cried out, but Jensen could barely hear her. He was doubling over, pain blossoming in his gut and a roaring in his ears. Hand clapped to his middle, he looked up, bewildered. Hadn't Lehne been aiming at Jared?

He soon realized in horror that was exactly what had happened. Jared was crumpled on the ground, both hands pressed to his abdomen, his jeans already turning darker with blood. His face was screwed in a grimace of pain, and as Rhodes knelt beside him, he let out a low groan.

Jensen tried to straighten up and move to Jared, but the pain in his gut was too sharp. He felt like he was the one who'd gotten shot, but Jared was the one who needed him; why couldn't he seem to move?

Realization slowly dawned, and by the time he'd figured it out, Jared had opened his eyes and was looking at him. The pain in Jared's gaze was compounded by totally unwarranted guilt, and Jensen gave a shake of his head and tried to straighten up. He wasn't _actually_ hurt. It was only their stupid bond that was making him feel this. If he could shake this off and get to that Cup, if he could get Jared to drink out of it, if it really _was_ a magical artifact—

"They've been bonded."

It was the man in the white hat, looking back and forth between Jared and Jensen with avid curiosity. "Did you see that, Dr. Rhodes?"

"I saw that you shot him," she snapped back. "You didn't have to do that."

"You weren't being very cooperative," Lehne retorted. "And now you'll have to do as I ask. Because while a gut shot doesn't kill right away, your young friend's life is very much limited right now. Both of them, I should think." He pinned Jensen with his gaze. "How did it happen?" he asked. "How were you bonded?"

Jensen pressed his lips together and concentrated on standing upright despite the flaming pain in his side.

"I suppose it doesn't matter," Lehne mused. "If this hurts now, just think of what the pain will be like when he dies. You likely won't survive it."

"Stop it." It was Kim, her voice nearly a growl. "I'll get your damn cup."

"Dr. Rhodes, no." Jared weakly reached up, leaving a smudge of blood on her sleeve. 

"Jared, yes." She shrugged off her jacket and folded it up before putting it under his head. "And how many times do I have to tell you? You graduated. It's 'Kim.'" 

Jensen could tell that Jared was trying to give her a smile, but it was faint. She squeezed his hand and stood up, coming in front of Jensen. "Are you really bonded to him? Is that a thing?"

He gave her a grimace instead of a smile. "It feels like I got shot, too," he ground out. "And yeah, it definitely is."

"Okay then, come here." She tucked her shoulder under his arm and eased him over beside Jared. Helping him to sit down, she asked, "Can you keep pressure on his wound?"

Jensen nodded, reaching out to tangle his fingers with Jared's and lean forward against his side. The resulting pressure made them both gasp, but he choked out, "I think so."

"Okay." Kim patted his shoulder and stood up. "I'll be right back."

Jensen heard her footsteps retreating, but he was concentrating on putting pressure on Jared's side. The sharp ache in his side was enough to make him want to scream. But Jared was the one lying there, bleeding on the floor, and if Jensen could do anything to make him better, he would.

"I know you will," Jared whispered.

Startled, Jensen turned toward him. "Did I say that out loud?" he whispered.

Jared gave a slow shake of his head. "Heard it anyway," he murmured.

Jensen stared at him. "Can we—?"

Jared looked at him intently. Jensen could see how much pain he was in, and it didn't take any kind of emotional or mental bond to see that he was terrified. Jensen had to be reflecting that right back at him, give the way his fingers were growing slippery with blood. He wanted so badly to lie down next to Jared on this hard stone floor, to hold him and tell him that he was going to be okay. But he had to keep pressure on the wound, and so instead, he thought at Jared as hard as he could.

A faint smile flickered across Jared's mouth. "Love you, too," he whispered, and then his eyes closed.

Jensen would have panicked, except that he didn't feel any different. He was sure that the man in the white hat was right, that if something happened to Jared, it wouldn't take long for Jensen to follow him. So he was pretty sure that Jared's closed eyes meant he was just resting, which was the best thing for him right now anyway.

Kim had gone up a short flight of stairs at the far end of the chamber. After a few minutes, there was a horrible scraping sound from where she'd gone that had the dark-haired men looking back and forth at each other. That was followed by a loud thump, and then her voice floated out. "I'm okay!"

"First trial," the man in the white hat muttered. His gaze flickered to Jensen. "There are three. She knows better than anyone what they consist of and how to get past them. That's why I had to have her here."

Jensen closed his eyes and turned away. He needed to save his strength, not engage in conversation with this creep. 

A moment later, there was a faint crashing sound, followed by a slightly louder, "Fuck!" 

The man in the white hat snapped his fingers and pointed at the gunman who'd originally been behind Jared. He scrambled up the stairs and out of sight. They could hear the rattle of falling rocks and a few more expletives. It was only a few seconds before he was calling out, "She's almost through!"

The man straightened his hat. "Keep an eye on them," he said to his other three henchmen before following the fourth one into the depths of the cave.

Jensen looked down at Jared. His face had gone paler, and his breathing seemed to be more labored than it had been. "Hang in there, Jay," he murmured. His knees were aching from the hard stone, but the pain in his side had dulled, and that scared him. If Jared wasn't feeling the pain anymore, if he was growing numb to it—

Jensen momentarily leaned down and pressed harder. Jared grunted, eyes flying open, and Jensen winced. Yeah, that still hurt.

Suddenly, there was a faint sound. Jensen raised his head. There was wind blowing through the cave, sending particles of dust flying through the air. The hair was standing up on the back of his neck, and all along his arms, too. He glanced down at Jared, who was looking past Jensen towards the staircase.

When a high-pitched scream shattered the cave, they all jumped. "Dr. Rhodes," Jared gasped, trying to sit up.

Jensen pushed him back down. "Didn't sound like a woman," he muttered, and from the looks the gunmen were exchanging with each other, it seemed like they had the same thought.

The same scream sounded again, sending a full-body shudder over Jensen, until it trailed off into silence.

The three men were nervously looking around. One of them said something to the others, and Jensen frowned. He'd been expecting Spanish, but it wasn't a language he knew. The man who'd snuck up behind him was arguing with the first man, and while that was growing louder in pitch, the other one holstered his gun and headed for the exit.

"Adizu!" the first man called, but the man in retreat merely waved over his shoulder before continuing on. The remaining two looked uncertainly at each other and then at Jared.

Before Jensen could say anything, there were footsteps from the stairway. He looked back over his shoulder to see Kim hurrying down the steps alone, carrying a plain, worn wooden cup in both hands. A few drops of water splashed on the steps in front of her, and she slowed her pace. "How's he doing?" she called out.

"Not great," Jensen replied. He watched warily as she came closer. "Can that really…?"

She gave a short nod. "At least, I've seen what the wrong one can do."

Behind her on the steps stood a man with long white hair and a deeply lined face, wearing a full suit of armor. He was closely watching Kim make her way across the floor, but as if sensing Jensen's eyes on him, he shifted his gaze. 

Jensen met his eyes, and a shiver ran down his back. He couldn't say how he knew it, but this was a man to be trusted. What Kim was carrying would save Jared. 

"Hang in there," he murmured. "Jay, c'mon."

Jared's eyelids fluttered open. "Wha'?"

"Come on, Jared." Kim was kneeling down next to him, holding the cup tightly with one hand while lifting Jared's head with the other. "Can you take a sip for me?"

He looked at Jensen. "Is it okay?"

"Yeah, it's fine. You'll be fine." Jensen gave him a weak smile. "Just drink it."

Obediently, Jared parted his lips, and Kim poured a little water into his mouth. He swallowed and blinked. He opened his mouth again, and she gave him another drink. 

Then she sat back on her heels and poured the rest of the water over where Jensen's bloody hands were clasped against Jared's wound.

They both gasped as steam rose up from Jared's skin, and then they hissed in unison at a sharp, burning sensation. Jensen watched in astonishment as the round metal of a bullet popped out of Jared's abdomen and hit the stone with a clatter. 

The echo had barely died out when the other two men abruptly fled, shouting in that same language Jensen didn't know. He didn't really care, either, too busy touching Jared's unmarked skin and knowing from the sudden relief from pain in his own side that Jared had been healed. 

"How is that…?" Jared asked. He reached out with one finger to touch the cup.

"It's a miracle," Kim said. She gave Jared a rueful smile. "And you know I don't believe in that sort of thing."

"Kind of hard not to right now." Jared struggled to sit up, and Kim and Jensen helped him. "Are you okay?" he asked Jensen.

"I’m not the one who got shot," Jensen retorted.

"You might as well have been." Jared reached out to touch Jensen's side, eyes still wide.

Jensen leaned closer and gave him a hard kiss, sliding both hands into Jared's hair and holding his head in place. Jared gave a surprised, "Mmrph!" against his lips, but soon he was kissing back just as hard. Jensen could _feel_ the waves of relief washing over him, and he let the sensation bounce back and forth between them, glad beyond words to have Jared safe and whole.

When they broke apart, Kim had sat back on her heels and was regarding them both. "Well now," she said. "I'd heard the rumors, but I didn't think it could be true."

"It's a long story," Jared replied, running his fingers down the side of Jensen's face and neck, a small smile curving the corners of his mouth. "Maybe we could tell you about it somewhere else?" 

"That sounds like a fantastic idea," she said. Scrambling to her feet, she gave each of them a hand up.

"Where's the guy with the white hat?" Jensen asked as he dusted off his jeans with his hands.

Kim looked away. "We don’t have to worry about him," she said.

The knight or guardian or whoever he was standing in the doorway spoke for the first time. His voice was as rusty as his sword as he said, "He chose…poorly."

They all looked up. "Thank you," Jared said, pointing to the cup.

"It must remain," the knight replied. "It cannot cross the mouth of the cave."

"But—" Jared looked at Kim. "You've been looking for this your whole life!"

"And I found it," she said. Turning the cup over in her hands, she ran a finger around the plain wooden rim. "And I've seen what it can do. To have that in the hands of the wrong people…" She trailed off and shook her head. "Some things are more important than knowledge."

"But you do know," Jensen said. " _You_ know that it's real. Maybe that can be enough."

A soft smile crossed Jared's face, and he slung an arm over Jensen's shoulders, pulling him close.

"Maybe it can," Kim replied. She sighed and straightened her shoulders. "At least, it'll have to be." 

Turning around, she drew her arm back and fired the cup like a football at the knight. He barely got his hands up in time to catch it, surprise flashing across his ancient face. When he had the cup securely in his grasp, though, he lifted his other hand in salute.

They all saluted back, and then they turned and made their way out, to start the journey home. 

 

They made their way back down the hillside more slowly than they'd gone up, tired and sore and not a little shaken by what they'd been through. Kim told them as they walked about going into hiding as soon as she arrived in Spain, tipped off by a local contact that Lehne was waiting for her. She'd evaded him as long as she could, but he'd finally tracked her down that morning and forced her into the cave. She didn't ask them anything about what had happened while she'd been further in the cave, and neither Jared nor Jensen offered. 

Once they were on a southbound train, Jensen pulled Jared's head down to rest on his shoulder and watched as he slept the whole way back to Madrid. Kim curled up on the opposite seat and slept as well. Every time the train jolted or swayed, Jensen felt the phantom pain in his gut, and it kept him wide awake.

Back at their hotel, they silently undressed and got in the small shower together. Jensen insisted on washing Jared from top to bottom, hands faltering slightly at the smooth skin of his abdomen. Jared tried to pull him up at that, but Jensen pressed a kiss to his hip and kept going. It was like he needed to touch every inch of Jared, needed to see that he was real and alive and there in front of him.

When he finally stood up, Jared wrapped him up in a tight embrace, and Jensen wormed his arms free and hugged him right back.

After a moment, Jared softly huffed in his ear. "If you'd told me three days ago that we'd be naked in the shower together and not even hard, I wouldn't have believed you."

"That's hardly the most unbelievable thing that happened to us today," Jensen muttered into his shoulder.

"Yeah, I guess not." Jared held him a little tighter. "You okay?"

"Like I said, I'm not the one who was shot."

"You might as well have been. You felt it, didn't you?"

Jensen silently nodded.

"God, Jensen." Jared lowered his head so he was nuzzling against Jensen's neck. "D'you think he was right? That if…if something happened to one of us, the other would…?"

"I don't know," Jensen replied. "There's not really any way to find out, either."

"Not exactly." Jared drew in a deep breath. "We could ask Dr. Rhodes, though. She might have some idea. I mean, I don't exactly want to tell the whole world, but—"

"She already knows. Basically." Jensen lifted his head and met Jared's eyes. "You trust her, right?"

"She won't tell a soul," Jared said. "I'm sure of that."

A little while later, they told her the story sitting side by side on the bed while she sat in the hotel room's only chair—or most of the story, since there was no _way_ Jensen was telling anyone what they'd done in his office to cement their bond. Although from the way Jared blushed and Kim's eyes widened, he was pretty sure she'd figured it out. 

"And then you saw what happened in the cave," Jared finished. 

"So you feel what he feels?" Kim asked Jared.

"If we're close enough." Jared's cheeks started to turn pink again. "Or the feelings are intense enough."

She held up her hands. "Say no more."

"Have you ever heard about anything like this?" Jensen asked.

"No more than I've heard of cups that can cure near-fatal wounds," she replied with a wry grin. "Which is to say, I've heard of them, but until today, I believed they were only stories."

"Glad they're not," Jared said quietly, and Jensen reached out to squeeze his hand.

"It's too bad the Cup had to stay there," Kim mused. Then she shrugged one shoulder. "Or not, given what someone like Lehne might have done with it."

"But you've been searching for it your whole life," Jared said. "Are you really okay with letting it go?"

"I know it's real," she said with a small smile. "More real than I ever imagined. And yeah, maybe I'm not going to be able to write a paper about it, but _I_ know, you know?"

"Why was it in a cave?" Jensen asked. "Not in a cathedral or somewhere like that?"

"Probably for safekeeping," she said. She raised an eyebrow. "By the way, while I was waiting for you two, I heard a story on the news. There was another landslide in the north this evening. Seems to have covered over a cave near Carranza."

"Whoa." Jared sat up straighter. "Did we do that?"

"More of that safekeeping, I'd imagine," she replied with a raised eyebrow. "But to go back to your question, Jensen, it might have been a chapel originally. It's thought to have been a Basque artifact, and we were well within Basque country. One of their most famous chapels is built beneath three massive stones, so one inside a cave wouldn't be a stretch." 

"Is that what the other guys in the cave were speaking?" Jensen asked.

Kim nodded. "Just like the words I had to use to get through the three trials. The Basques have a story that their language is the one that God spoke when he created the world. That would make for a pretty powerful language, don't you think? Powerful enough to be written on the side of a cup that can heal anything."

"But then why do only a few thousand people speak it off in one corner of the world?" Jensen asked.

"The Tower of Babel," Jared explained. "All of the world's other languages were created to confuse us and keep us from working together to overtake Heaven. That's why no other language is related to Basque." He grinned at Kim. "I always liked that story." 

"Whatever the reason, it doesn't help you with your problem." Kim gestured back and forth between the two of them. "Assuming it's a problem?"

They exchanged a glance. Jared was the one to say, "It has its downsides, yeah."

"You could always try smashing the statuette," she said. "That might break the bond."

Jensen blinked. Then he turned to Jared. "We never thought of that."

"Or it might make things worse," Jared said slowly. "If it's intended to bind a couple for life, and they destroy the bond, what would it do to them?"

"You'd probably want to research it first," Kim said dryly. "But if you're looking for my advice, that would be it."

 

They didn't talk about it the rest of the night, or on the flight home the next day. Kim was staying on to tie up a few loose ends, but Jensen just wanted to get the hell out of Spain. He hadn't slept well, since every time he closed his eyes he saw the expression on Jared's face when the bullet hit him, or felt the warmth of Jared's blood spilling out over his hands even as his own gut twisted in pain. At least Jared managed to sleep through the night, and Jensen let him be the one to maneuver the two of them through the airport and onto the plane.

He dozed a little against Jared's shoulder and felt better by the time they landed. They drove to Jensen's house, still quiet. When they got inside, Jared headed right for the fridge and pulled out a beer. "Want one?"

"No, thanks." Jensen dropped his keys on the table and sighed. "We should talk." 

"Thus the beer," Jared said, holding it up with a weak smile.

Jensen rubbed a hand over his face. "Jay, what do you think about what Kim said?"

To his credit, Jared didn't try to get around it. "I thought about it all the way home," he replied. "Tried to do a little research on the plane, but what it comes down to…" He trailed off and took a big swig of beer. "We never figured out the statuette's origins, did we?"

Jensen paused. "No, I guess not. I mean, in Maluka we found out we were both wrong about it based on how the booby trap was sprung, right?" Jared nodded, and he went on, "And I never looked into it anymore. I kinda wanted to pretend it wasn't…having the effect it was."

"And then after we got together, it hasn't seemed like there's much point," Jared said softly.

"Yeah." Jensen squared his shoulders. "So what does it come down to?"

"If we break it, it might break the bond. Things go back to the way they were. No feeling it when you stub your toe or, you know." Jared shrugged, the gesture presumably meant to indicate, _when one of us gets shot_. 

"Or what else might happen?" Jensen asked slowly.

"It might not do anything. Depending on the origin of the statuette, it might not serve any further purpose once the bond has been established."

Frowning, Jensen said, "That sounds win-win to me. Either we break it and it helps us, or we break it and it doesn't do anything."

Jared bit his lip but didn't say anything.

Jensen sighed. "What else?"

"Nothing else." He took another gulp of his beer. "That's all I've found so far."

"Then what's bothering you?" Jensen asked.

Jared's gaze cut away. "Nothing."

"Bullshit. I know you, Jared. I know when something's not right."

"But that's it." Jared pointed at him. "You know me. Now. Because of the bond. What if we go back to way things were?" His voice got smaller. "What if we hate each other again?"

"Oh, Jare." Jensen crossed the few steps between them, taking the bottle out of Jared's hand and setting it on the counter. Then he came even closer, putting his hands on Jared's hips. "You're the one who said it wasn't just because of the bond anymore. Hell, that's the reason I'm not a cat, right? Because we both admitted it?"

"Doesn't mean it wouldn't go away if the bond did," Jared replied, head hanging low so his bangs were covering his eyes.

"But I wouldn't hate you," Jensen said. He cupped Jared's cheek in one hand. "I can't imagine how I ever did."

"'Cause you were a dumbass," Jared muttered.

"Shut up," Jensen replied automatically. He nudged Jared's jaw upward until their eyes met. "When you were shot, I—I'd never felt anything like that before. And I don't mean feeling like I got shot. I mean watching you in so much pain and being so helpless."

"We could practice with it," Jared said. "Learn to tune it out?"

"By hurting ourselves until the other one doesn’t feel it? Great plan, Jared. No way that could go wrong."

It was Jared's turn to mutter, "Shut up."

Something occurred to Jensen then, a cold feeling that he felt prickling along the back of his spine. "Unless…if you're afraid that what you feel is only because of the bond."

"No! No, not at all." Jared's hands were grasping at Jensen's shirt, pulling him closer. "I know it's more than that."

"Then don't worry about it," Jensen soothed. "I—I meant what I said in the cave, Jared. I love you. I don't want to lose you, no matter what we decide to do."

Jared searched his eyes for a long moment. Finally, he nodded. "Yeah. Me too."

"Good." Jensen caressed his cheek once more and let go. "So, should we do it?"

"Shouldn't we sleep on it first?" Jared asked. "We flew across eight time zones today, and I don't feel like driving into your office right now."

"I brought it home a while ago." Jensen gestured at the living room, where a collection of artifacts on the mantel included their small statue. "Didn't want it getting knocked over or touched by any of my students."

"Makes sense," Jared replied. Then he shrugged. "I just don't know what to do."

Digging into his pocket, Jensen held up a coin. "We'll flip."

Jared let out a bark of laughter. "You want to determine the rest of our lives on a coin flip?"

"Heads, we break the statuette. Tails, we don't." Jensen shook his head. "It's not any more crazy than being in this situation in the first place."

Jared bit his lip. "Yeah, okay," he finally said. He ducked down and kissed Jensen, the kind of slow, lingering kiss that usually only happened after they'd just come. 

It made Jensen's dick stir in response, but he was confident they'd have time for that in just a few minutes. 

Holding hands, they walked across the living room. Jared picked up the statuette and looked around. "Think the hearth will do?" he asked.

"If not, we can run it over with your SUV," Jensen joked. He held up the coin. "Ready?"

Jared nodded, holding the statuette high overhead. "Let's do it."

Jensen flipped the coin high into the air. They watched as it clattered to the hearth, George Washington's head clearly visible.

"Well." Jared cleared his throat. "The universe has spoken."

And with that, he let go.


End file.
